Star Wars: The Educational Tool

[Eiren]

I have a 10 yo nephew who is a big star wars fan. He loves the movies, has a huge collection of Star Wars books he has read, loves the video games etc. He's a really good kid.

My sister has talked to me several times over the past 4 years or so about my nephews social development. He is VERY shy and quiet even around people he knows. He generally will not speak unless spoken to; even if there is something he wants or needs he generally puts off initiating talking until he absolutely cannot wait anymore.

Well after our last talk we decided that me, her, my nephew and my GF would all start a Star Wars RPG together to play once every other week or possibly every week depending. The idea is to use the RPG to get him more comfortable with being social and help develop his social skills. I mean, the kid loves Star Wars and he loves the idea of RPG's (we've talked alot about the games before) so we're hoping that we can use the game as a tool to help draw him out of his shell.

Of course I've decided to bring the game down to a 10 yo's level a bit. Instead of "killing" a stormtrooper with a well placed blaster shot and a big damage roll we'll say "you defeated the stormtrooper." Instead of correlian rum and lum and rotgut in the Cantina he will find corellian cola, kashyyk root beer and sunrise soda. lol

I'm really interested to see how this is going to turn out. I know alot of corporations use roleplaying to teach management trainees how to deal with certain types of situations and I know we use it at my job to help train field agents how to talk to potential clients. There is more also than just social skills that I'm hoping he can pick up on through the game. If done properly it could help with decision making skills, basic math and science skills, and alot of other things.

I just thought it was a neat idea and thought I'd share it with yall. I'll let you know how it goes.
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[Gry Sarth]

This is a truly great isea, Eiren! And your nephew is lucky to have such a loving family that cares about him and want to engage in this regular activity.

I agree that a good RPG game can help develop some social skills, as well as entice his creativity and even some acting skills. And if nothing else, it will be an opportunity for some healthy family bonding, which I see lacking in so many kids these days...
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[vong]

I have to agree with Gry . This is a cool idea. I should use this angle when trying to get my kid (future kid) to RP
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[Ankhanu]

Great idea all around. Perhaps my wife and I can do this with our daughter when she gets older... though she shows no signs of having difficulty socializing; she's far more social/outgoing than either of us, and is only 5
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[Esoomian]

This might be something to try with my son... once he stops thinking dice are for eating
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[ifurin]

that may take a while. i'm 27 and i still eat my dice.

[Doomhead]

Sounds like a great idea! I'm currently trying to get my 12 year old daughter interested in playing Star Wars RPG, D6 of course! I was so stoked when she asked if she could play... we even created two characters for her, a Young Senatorial and her Protocol Droid companion. I just haven't had the time to create an adventure for her yet! I've been busy at work getting ready for a deployment!
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[Xynar]

Have her go through a solitary adventure with you as a guide to make sure she understands the rules. At least you can get her started this way.
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[Doomhead]

Any great solitary adventures out there... more home-brewed, the WEG materials kinda limited.
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[garhkal]

[scott2978]

I have to agree that it's great to get youngsters involved in role playing. As I get older I tend to become more retrospective about my life, and I'm constantly amazed at what a smart choice I made at such an early age to get into RPGs.

The typical RPG gamer that I've always known in my life is a great person. They typically don't do drugs, don't get into fights, don't have trouble with the law, are respectful, outgoing, and very smart. Of course there are as many different types of gamers as there are people, but in general I've found gamers are pretty nice people.

And, I have learned SO MUCH from gaming! I could never even list all the things I've learned. Rolling dice and adding up the bonuses/penalties ect really improve your math skills because you do it quickly and on the fly. Figuring out game rules and the usual charts and tables helps you with cognitive ability. During gaming, figuring out the best solution to whatever challenges your character faces improves your problem solving skills, and it actually helps you make tough decisions in your real life when you can relate them to a game situation. Plus I've learned about all kinds of domesticated animals, wild animals, the weather, climates, geography, history, ecology, ballistics, measurments and a list so long it would bore the pants off of you. Plus you also learn more philosophic things like the value of life, the spirit of adventure, the worth of a person not being decided by what they look like or what language they speak or what religion they practice. Man there is so much to learn in the world, and gaming provides a FUN way to learn it!

So I hope your nephew enjoys gaming as much as we do. It could set a course for his life that will be with him forever, and maybe some day he will post on a forum about how glad he is that he got into gaming.

Scott

[Orgaloth]

[PsiberDragon]

[Jedi Skyler]

[vong]

Obviously Skyler didnt have any help as a child
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